trusting my instincts--M's near death experience!

I have always said that it is so so important to trust your instincts. Especially when it comes to parenting. I do a lot of things differently, but I really just follow my instincts and I am so glad I do.

After leaving a girlfriend's house Friday, I stopped to get gas. The kids and I had errands to run and I had planned on getting some errands run and then getting gas on the way home, but for some reason I decided to pump gas blocks from her house. I got out of the car, and started pumping and then I had a feeling that I needed to check on the kids. Never in my life have I done that while pumping gas, but I opened the back door on V's side (since that is where the gas tank is) and peeked in to see M projectile vomiting. I rushed over to her side and tried to wipe her up and comfort her, but she had this really scared look on her face and looked like she was trying to throw up but nothing was happening. She kept pushing me away, but looking at me with this fear in her eyes. Something told me to look in her mouth and she was choking on a sticker! I pulled it out and after a few minutes she was fine.

It was super scary though, because had not stopped for gas there, had I not opened the door, had I not looked in her mouth, I don't want to think of what could have been. She wasn't making any noise so I wouldn't have heard anything from the front seat. I am so glad that I followed my instincts and always have.

I called my girlfriend to tell her about it afterwards, and she apologized profusely, even though she was only alone with the kids while I was loading up my car. Totally not her fault. I'm thinking one of the boys stuck it on her shirt and she pulled if off, or she found it on the floor, or maybe it was on V's shoe and when he took it off and threw it at her in the car she found it and ate it. I don't know, but I like to think that this is the second time my instincts have saved this kid. She certainly keeps me on my toes!

the love (or lack of love) of a 3 year old

The other day, we were all sitting in the living room and V walked right up to H, gave him a hug and said "I love you, Dada!" I told H to relish that, because V has only once told me he loved me unprovoked. H then asked V if he loved me. "no" he said. H then told him to give me a hug and tell me he loves me. He walked up to me, looked me right in the eyes, and said "I don't love you, Mama." Now, I know, in my head, that he doesn't mean it. I know the kid loves me. When he gets hurt, he wants me. When he is sad, he wants me. When he is tired, he wants me to rock him. The boy loves his mama, but in that moment it hurt my heart and brought tears to my eyes. It hurts to hear your child say he doesn't love you.

It brought me back to my teenage years. I can remember getting into fights with my mom and telling her I hated her. How horrible that must have made her feel! I didn't mean it and I know she knew I didn't mean it, but I can't imagine how that made her feel. I feel so badly for saying that to her now. (note to self: call mom tomorrow and apologize for my teenage years)

It also makes me wonder about V's teenage years. What is our relationship going to be like then? At 3, he has a personality, and a temper. I wonder what he will be like at 5 and 10 and 15. But I also don't want to wish away the present.

Later that night, we were at my parents house and my dad was trying to take V outside and he didn't want to go. He looked at me and said "But I love you now, Mama!" And that night, he told H that he didn't want him to do his "rock rocks," he wanted Mama. So, I guess, at the end of the day, the kid really does love me :)

grocery shopping with kids

usually I go grocery shopping alone. All alone. It is sort of like what a day at the spa would be 3 years ago. I don't particularly enjoy grocery shopping, but I really don't like it with 2 kids in tow. M is pretty easy to keep entertained, but V is a whole other story. He is so active and just wants to run and make a mess. Taking him to the store is a lot of work. A whole lot of work.



The other day though I read something I decided to try. I made my grocery list and then found pictures of the things we were buying. I cut them out and make V his own grocery list with the pictures. I talked up the trip and how much fun it would be since he was doing the shopping. We got him his own little cart and I gave him his list and it was FABULOUS! He loved finding the things we needed and putting them in the cart. He had so much fun putting his groceries on the conveyor belt thing and I even gave him money to pay for the food. He was entertained and it was a learning experience for him. Definitely something we will do again!

let them eat cake!

what a weekend of celebrations! Saturday, my baby sister graduated from college (which makes me feel incredibly old) and it was my birthday (which also makes me feel incredibly old). Today is V's birthday and we went to a friends birthday party. What a busy and fun-filled weekend!

I am now the mama of a THREE year old and I am *hoping* that is the end of the terrible twos although I am doubtful. He is such a handful lately, but so much fun too. He speaks his mind and really knows what he wants which is so fun and so much more work. This morning, he pulled a barstool up to M's high chair and they shared Cheerios. It was the cutest thing ever. He would hold them out to her and she took them and ate them and then he would have one. I just loved it! He then told me he wanted her head off and proceeded to try to take of off of her neck. I had to tell him to leave his sister's head on her body. There's a sentence I never thought I would say!

I love seeing him learn and grow. He is so inventive in his playing and it just amazes me how smart he is. Sometimes I can't believe that he is the same kid with all the "delays".

I look back over the last three years and can't believe how far we have come. I mean three years and one day ago I didn't know if I was having a son or a daughter. I didn't know how much I could really love someone. I didn't know how much happiness a little person could bring to me. All the things I didn't know.

I feel so blessed to get to be his mama and I look forward to celebrating many more birthdays with him. Happy birthday, Baby! I love you!

the things that come out of my kids mouth...

are really really funny most of the time. I think I am going to update this post with the things he says that I know I will want to remember. Some of the funniest things I'm sure I have already forgotten...



The other night he was giving M hugs and kisses and said "I love you, Brother." We explained to him that he is her brother and she is his sister. Then he laid down next to her and said "I'm your sister." Totally cute!



I asked him why M was crying the other day. "M's dada ran away and she's sad."



"OH NO! Dada put a handle on the door!" He was devastated when he realized I can now lock the bedroom door :)

He woke up in the middle of the night and when I went in to him, he told me he hurt. I asked him where and he pointed to his hip. I thought he must have just had a cramp or something so I told him to lay back down and go to sleep. He then said "take my hurt with you, mama"

While eating muffins I hear "is there penis in my muffins mama?" "what?" "is there penis in my muffins, mama? Cuz I don't like penis." That is when I realized he was saying peanuts.

H was putting him to bed and he went to pinch H's cheeks. My dad does this to my kids and says "spokachonie" which drives every one nuts. We told V that he can only do that to Papa. So he when H told him he can only do that to Papa, he said "When you're a papa I can do it to you?"

When he was about 18 months old, we were at Walgreens and a very busty woman walked in wearing a very low cut shirt. My son looked at her, looked at me, and then shouted "BOOBIES!" The woman didn't hear, but the cashier did.


I will keep adding to this post as he keeps talking. He usually says at least one "blog worthy thing a day" :) AND, if I have told you something funny he said that I forgot, please let me know so I can add it :)

05/05/10

"I can give Baby boobies if I want to!"---I asked V to pick up his toys and he said he had to "give Baby boobies first". H said that he couldn't because he was a boy. V said "so?" and H told him that boys don't have anything. Then he said he could if he wanted to :)

we went out to breakfast and after we had eaten, he said he needed to go to the restroom. As we start walking that way, he says, very loudly "I'm gonna go make pee pees real quick, then I'm coming right back!" He repeated it several times on the way to the bathroom. On the way out, he repeated "what the hell!" I was only slightly embarrased :)

05/09/10
"that's why it's important to be careful, Mama"--after I accidentally knocked his cup while he was drinking. He said water went in his nose :)

"Maybe I'm not little anymore, right Mama?"

05/17/10
In the bathroom at a restaurant he told me that Dada could go in the stall next to us. I told him that Dada would probably need to go to the boys bathroom. He then said "Where am I makin' pee pees, Mama?" I told him we were in the girls bathroom and he looked around and asked where it said that. I told him I would show him when we left. Then he said "Oh. And I'll see it says for big boys too, right?"

"Hold me, Mama. 'Cuz I don't feel good."

08/2010
"If you screw her I will bang you"--V telling H about screwdrivers and hammers

"I hafta get dirty before I get old and big, like Daddy"

"I need these underwear in my pocket incase the other ones get dirty at the park."

50 things

so a few of my friends blogged about their kids. 50 things about them and I liked the idea so I am totally jacking it (thanks Tavia, Cati, and Brittney!)


50 things about V

1. He has to give everyone a hug and a kiss each night before bed. Sometimes we all get more than one hug and kiss. I love it.
2. He sleeps with a Thunder basketball and every stuffed animal he can find. He calls them his friends.
3. We read, rock, and sing Hush Little Baby every night before bed.
4. “But I waaaaaant yoooouuu.” is his favorite thing to say
5. He loves “Spiderman Bars” which are fruit snacks. Especially “Lightening McQueen Spiderman Bars”
6. He uses the potty by himself now, but he still wears a diaper to bed because we got tired of changing sheets. He has only woken up dry once. He wears underwear for naps though and does fine.
7. He weighs 25 lbs and is getting so tall.
8. He loves to parent M and tell her what she can and can’t do
9. He asks me every day if I did my “dance video” or my “workout video.” If I didn’t he says I should do it and he will watch and eat a Spiderman Bar
10. He loves going to the park
11. He calls magnets maggots and pretzels prentsels
12. He has friends that he calls by name and asks to play with them
13. He remembers everything
14. And he repeats everything
15. He likes to throw things and hit
16. He melts down each time he gets sent to time-out
17. He climbs on anything and everything
18. He likes to help Dada fix things
19. He calls H and me by our first names most of the time, even though he knows we don’t like it
20. He loves Cars, Spiderman, Robots, and Mickey Mouse
21. He can count to 11 by himself and then starts over again with 8 so it goes something like 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-8-9-10-11-8-9-10-11
22. If you prompt him with 12 after 11, he can count to 20
23. He sometimes says eleven-teen
24. The first thing he asks for each morning is M. He wants to know if she is awake or still sleeping
25. He likes to eat “the ones with the faces on it” which are Frosted Mini Wheats for breakfast
26. He doesn’t sit in a high chair in a restaurant anymore
27. But he still sits rearfacing in his carseat
28. Sometimes, he asks me to take him out of the car in his carseat like I do M
29. He takes his shoes off every.single.time we get in the car
30. He likes to pick out his own clothes and usually matches
31. He likes to wear his sandals
32. He likes his underwear on backwards so he can see the cars
33. He often says “I’m just gonna play for a few minutes first”
34. He loves triangles
35. and the colors green and orange
36. He knows his colors
37. and can identify some letters
38. He recognizes his written name
39. He likes to talk on the phone to Daddy, Mimi, and Auntie
40. If I am cooking, he asks me what I am making for him
41. He gets upset if Dada puts his toys away in the wrong place
42. He loves to play guitar and drums
43. He says Kevin Durant and Rumble are his friends
44. He hides in his tent when he gets scared
45. He says “noooo! I don’t” when he gets into trouble
46. He likes to clean
47. and he likes coupons
48. He likes to “hold sumfin” when we go to the store
49. He loves when I let him pay
50. He loves the Dallas Stars and the Thunder


50 things about M

1. She laughs when I tickle her on her upper back
2. She loves to chew on her toes
3. She always sticks her hands in her poop when I change her diaper
4. V is probably her favorite person (after me, but, only when she is hungry)
5. She has eaten avocado, banana, and squash and likes all three
6. She has 2 bottom teeth
7. She loves to snuggle
8. She play peek-a-boo by herself and always laughs out loud
9. She doesn’t like it when I put bows in her hair
10. But she has no problem with hats
11. She likes to pull her socks off
12. She sits in a high chair even though she doesn’t eat
13. She loves to throw stuff on the floor for us to pick up
14. Everything goes in her mouth
15. She loves to play with paper
16. She really wants to crawl and has almost figured it out
17. She loves to bounce
18. She hates her carseat
19. She weighs 16 lbs
20. She says “dada” and “baba” which mean nothing, but she repeats it all the time
21. She rubs her eyes when she is tired
22. She always wakes up happy
23. She loves getting a bath until she has to get washed, so really she just likes playing in the water
24. She doesn’t like to be put up in the air
25. She loves to be held. All.the.time.
26. She has started drinking water out of a cup
27. She likes to suck on her “sucky”
28. She likes to bang
29. She loves to read and be read to
30. I can usually make her smile just by smiling at her
31. She doesn’t like wearing pants
32. She can get from sitting to her belly all by herself
33. She loves to play with nesting cups
34. She nurses all through the night
35. She hates if someone else covers her face, but she likes to do it to herself
36. She doesn’t like it if she can’t see me
37. She thinks people in masks are funny
38. She gets excited when Dada comes home from work
39. She gets excited when we pick Brother up from school
40. She likes to watch other kids
41. She loves to give kisses
42. She has started biting and thinks its funny
43. She likes having lotion put on
44. She likes to chew on her rubber duckie
45. She doesn’t like to nap
46. She likes when I take her to library by herself
47. But she loves going with Brother too
48. She doesn’t like to watch me cook
49. She sleeps with one leg over the blanket and one leg under
50. She loves when V blows raspberries on her belly

Dating again...

my husband that is! Since we have had M, our dating life has been pretty non-existent. We have date nights at home every so often, but it is hard to relax and enjoy when there are 6 laundry baskets full of clothes waiting to be folded staring me in the face or a sink full of dishes to be done or sticky floors needing to be mopped. I have to get out of the house. We have gone out a few times without V, but since I loathe the pump, M comes with and we haven't been out totally alone in a long while.

Well, last night we went to a basketball game together. Alone together. It was fabulous! We went out to dinner before the game and as we ordered drinks, we realized that it has been nearly 4 years since we have had a drink together! FOUR YEARS, people!!! Needless to say, we enjoyed our beers together and the adult conversation. No noses to wipe, no mouths to feed, to questions to answer 75 times. FABULOUS I tell you!

It is so nice to be able to date my husband. Sometimes I think I forget how to be his wife because I am so busy being the mother to his babies. It was great to remember! We have another date planned for Saturday night and I am excited. I don't know what we are going to do, but I am giddy about it. Like when we first started dating giddy. It's sad, really, but not at the same time.

We have fallen into a "marriage rut" before, and I find that when we are in these ruts, we fight more and are just not as happy. I think it is so important to remember why we fell in love and got married and dating helps us do that.

I married an amazing man and I sometimes forget that. We have been together over 9 years and sometimes we just get to used to each other that we forget why we are together. I get so used to him working hard and taking care of us that I don't realize how hard he is working. I need to remember to thank him more often and let him know how much I appreciate him. I find that that keeps us out of our ruts a bit.

Now, though, there is a mess on the desk that I must get picked up while H works on cleaning out the garage so I can park my car in it again. The work must be done so I can relax on Saturday :)